Melisa in Guatemala is 12 and the second oldest of 6. She loves being a big sister and helping her family: walking her siblings to school each morning and feeding the animals her family has received from World Vision.

That's why she's so grateful for World Vision's support – to watch her family grow with the nourishment from farm animals and for them to attend better schools and have the supplies they need!

Read about how she is a growing light for her brothers and sisters, and her whole community!

In Peru, the gift of dairy animals from World Vision’s Gift Catalog is making a world of difference to Cupertino and his three children. Now that they drink milk every day, the children no longer get sick and have turned around the effects of malnourishment.

Women and children of Badnapur and Solamoh villages, who participated in the Nutrition Exhibition 2012, aiming to combat malnutrition with creative recipes and education. (Photo: 2012 Annila Harris/World Vision)

The Melghat region of India is known for its high rates of child malnutrition. In response to this challenge, World Vision India devised an innovative technique for change, not only targeting attitude and behavior, but also aiming to address the source of the problem, with … a cooking contest!

Each day, thousands of children are robbed of the chance to live a healthy, productive life -- all because of preventable, treatable diseases.

World Vision is partnering with national radio network K-LOVE -- which includes more than 400 contemporary Christian radio stations across the country -- to help children around the world Survive to 5.

World Vision's Kari Costanza traveled to Rwanda, where she met Solange, whose life was turned upside-down in a short period of time.

Fighting caused Solange and her family flee their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After arriving in Kiegeme refugee camp, Solange lost her 3-year-old daughter, Rebecca.

Kari met Solange in a hospital, where she was staying with her baby, Esther. Kari shares her thoughts on meeting Solange and Esther -- and the tragic news she received after returning to the United States.

World Vision's Mariana Chokaa reports from Niger, a country left reeling from the drought and hunger crisis that has devastated Africa's Sahel region. At a local clinic, where one might expect to encounter the desperation of malnourished children, she instead observes a downright cheerful atmosphere.

In the news business, there's a saying that goes, “One dead fireman in Brooklyn is worth five English bobbies, who are worth fifty Arabs, who are worth five hundred Africans.” I quoted this in my first book, The Hole in Our Gospel.

It’s understandable that we identify and sympathize with the people closest to us. We have a harder time empathizing with people who are somehow removed -- whether geographically, culturally, religiously, or nationally. It’s normal.

Rich Stearns, president of World Vision U.S., recently warned that we must take decisive action now to prevent the hunger crisis in West Africa's Sahel region from devolving into outright famine, similar to what was seen in parts of the Horn of Africa last year.

Today, World Vision's Adel Sarkozi writes from Mauritania, confirming this message: West Africa may not be making headlines in the media, but the humanitarian situation there is dire, and we must act immediately.

It’s popular in the press to judge a charity by its efficiency. Donors want to know whether their money is being used effectively, and journalists play a valuable part in keeping organizations accountable.

Without downplaying the important role the media play in this respect, I believe the public’s concerns about effective aid would be better served if the press also paid attention to slow-building disasters early on -- before they begin claiming lives. Inefficient responses to disasters can cost as much as 80 times more than a well-planned early response.

This weekend, thousands of students across the country will participate in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine -- an event where teenagers fast for 30 hours, learn about global hunger, and raise funds to feed and care for hungry children around the world.

Nicole, a home-school mom and youth leader, started doing the Famine when she was 16. Nicole offers some incredible insight, having seen the Famine from the perspective of both a student and a leader. We asked her to share why she does the Famine.

My son, Joshua, recently turned 16 months old. (As a new parent, I’ve learned that we track our young children’s ages by months or even days rather than by years.) As Joshua grows, I witness him becoming increasingly independent and stubborn, particularly when it comes to eating.